Senate Agrees to 3-Month SGR 'Patch'

by David Pittman David Pittman,Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today
December 18, 2013

WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Wednesday passed a budget that includes a 3-month "patch" to delay a 24% cut to physicians' Medicare payments set to begin Jan. 1 under the sustainable growth rate (SGR) reimbursement formula.

Senators voted 64-36 on the bill, which sets federal spending levels for the rest of fiscal 2014 and fiscal 2015. Lawmakers must still fill in actual spending bills for specific government expenditures, now that they agree on the overall level of federal spending.

In addition to delaying the planned SGR cut, the bill gives physicians a 0.5% pay bump during the 3 months.

Accessibility Statement

At MedPage Today, we are committed to ensuring that individuals with disabilities can access all of the content offered by MedPage Today through our website and other properties. If you are having trouble accessing www.medpagetoday.com, MedPageToday's mobile apps, please email legal@ziffdavis.com for assistance. Please put "ADA Inquiry" in the subject line of your email.